Sea Grant: Four Years Later

Abstract

After four full years of operation of Sea Grant Program, an oceanic imitation of century-old Land Grant Program, four universities have been named Sea Grant Colleges: Rhode Island, Oregon State, Washington and Texas AM enjoyment and use of our marine resources; new sources of food; and new means for development of marine through programs for research, education and training of skilled manpower and advisory services. There is no question that program is an active one. More than 400 scientific reports have been issued to date, encompassing every conceivable aspect of lake and marine conservation and exploitation. Since 1968, $40 million has been invested in projects in 27 states, Virgin Islands and District of Columbia. Currently, Sea Grants finance some 547 projects, 457 of them under institutional grants to 13 colleges and universities. These projects cover areas of fisheries and aquaculture, ocean engineering, coastal zone resources management, marine pharmacology and pharmaceuticals, pollution, ecological studies, mineral resources, marine and coastal zone law and economics, biological oceanography, seafood science and technology, management and preservation of environment, man in sea, and physical and chemical oceanography. Published reports cover such subjects as acoustic techniques of estimating fish populations, wave forces on submerged structures, sand mining on continental shelf, extending shipping season on St. Lawrence Seaway. Among its more spectacular accomplishments are discovery and identification of mineral deposits in Great Lakes valued at over $300 million, first commercial harvest of cultured shrimp, and a system to use deep, cold ocean water as an aquacultural nutrient source. The program also has solid Federal support. Robert White, head of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which manages program, says that NOAA attaches the highest priority to Sea Grant Program, pointing out that, once having been allocated $15 million (a $2 million increase over its base in President's budget), Sea Grant Pro-. gram has never been considered for any cut-the only program in all of NOAA SO favored. In fact, Congress tacked on an additional $2.5 million. In spite of all this, Madison conferees seemed unelated. In sessions on coastal zone programs, ocean engineering, aquaculture, legal-economic aspects of fisheries, and advisory services, most of time was devoted to discussion of problem or subject in general; question of Sea Grant's potential contribution was answered in only very general terms. In legal-problems area, for example, it was decided to continue support of scientific research, develop new programs to send results to users, study institutional barriers to effective national fisheries policy (such as archaic state laws), analyze fishing industry interests from point of view of individual fisherman, and provide inputs to national policy and to